Furnace by Alexander Gordon Smith

 

Straight out of the mind of a very disturbing individual, this book tells the story of children who are sent to Furnace Penitentiary, a prison built under the earth where experiments can be conducted and seemingly gotten away with due to the little consequences.

This book is ideal for a teenager who loves to read and have his, or her, mind twisted up by the graphic violence. Yet for me, it swung for the fence and missed some way. It's not a bad book, I just cannot get behind a story like this where one of the main staples is violence for seeming violence sake.

I didn't really like this one, though have looser standards that standard books due to the teen rating for it. I have more tolerance for this type of fiction because there are some places that this fiction needn't go for the younger generation.

Vienna Blood by Frank Tallis

Being a Victorian-style detective thriller, though not explicitly set in those times, this book instantly caught my eye. I am a huge fan of stories that tell themselves from the point of view of an investigator like Sherlock Holmes or Endeavour Morse. Seeing the crimes from the point of view of these investigators then allows me to see whether the author will show off his knowledge of crime solving methods that are restricted before technology's now widespread usage.

Would I say that there was anything that I don't particularly like about this? Not really because I would say the author was knowledgeable enough to be able to spin a yarn that belongs on a coffee table as some light afternoon reading. It's not too heavy in detail yet manages to weave a complex tale of criminal behaviour that avoids the usual tropes in these types of stories.

After America by John Birmingham

In a world where a mysterious wave has inexplicably wiped out most of the population, what remains are bands of survivors ranging from pirates, to the remnants of a skeletal government.

This is pretty much where this book is coming from, the second in the series by author Birmingham who, until this book, I have never heard of before. It contains the standard fare from your Tom Clancy-types and yet at the same time manages to be different enough to attract my attention in the first place. I had never come across a story that intrigued me enough despite the content not being my initial go-to for reading material.

I wasn't disappointed, however, because the story is good, the writing is solid and, as much as it can do, it steps effortlessly around the tropes that, unfortunately, usually riddle these types of stories.

Stuey's News: Off the Scale Returns in October, More Reviews Coming...

Hello everyone!

Some exciting news for you, Off the Scale will be returning the first Monday of October so buckle in for that because it's going to be a wild ride as we make our way towards 100 episodes and the climax of the whole series.

In addition to all of this, I will be continuing to churn out reviews as fast as I am physically able to, which I'm hoping will be a lot sooner now that my course has finished. I am approximately two films and three books behind so will need to step up my game if I am to get them out this year.

The yearly review will still happen in December so stay tuned for that one.

Thank you all for your patience whilst I made it through a really busy August with all my courses and workshops that I was attending.

Here's to the design changes coming real soon!

===TLP===

LS037 - Speak Life into Your Situation

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to post an update, letting you all know how I am doing aside from my reviews and news content that I have been posting.

It has been a really challenging few months for me as I have been forced to step back from my blog for a while to journal my way through. A lot of the stuff I cannot actually talk about on here because there are some things that are not meant for the public eye.

I have had to re-prioritise, as well, a lot of things as I am on week three of five of a course aimed at helping you to maximise the most out of your life. This, combined with the sessions I have been doing with my work and health provider, have got me to a place where I finally feel steadier...

Stuey's News: Further Reviews Coming, Off the Scale to return & more...

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your patience. Life has just become one almighty storm right now and I'm here, caught in the middle of it. Caught in the eye of the storm, as the song goes.

Luckily, my faith in God has only gotten stronger as has my conviction to see out this year committed to changing what I can and accepting what I cannot as beyond my control.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that my revamp of the blog is still on course to be completed, as are more book and film reviews, with a view to, finally, restoring Off the Scale to continue on its journey to episode 100, the final stop in the series.

It has been one heckuva journey and I am glad to be in the eye of the storm right now (but that's a story for another time) out of harm's way.

Keep your heads up because that's where the horizon is!

===TLP===

RV009 - House of Cards by Michael Dobbs

Hello everyone!

As fast as I am starting a book, these days, I'm finishing it such is the lack of quality upon all TV stations.

But this is not a rant, nor is it a rave, but a review that has been around as a TV series for a few years now, House of Cards, starring Kevin Spacey...

RV008 - They Found Atlantis by Dennis Wheatley

 

Hello everyone!

The next review is here now and it's from a rather interesting book I picked up at a charity shop not so long ago called "They Found Atlantis" by Dennis Wheatley. The copy I picked up looks nothing like the image I've chosen for this review, but I could hardly use an image of a blank red book with an elaborate golden trim now, could I?

RV007 - Tommyknockers by Stephen King

Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying these reviews as much as I am in putting them together. It has been a long time since I was able to get back into the swing of things as far as reviews go, but now they are here in the form of film & book reviews, I am hoping to have them here to stay.

This week, it's the turn of Stephen King and, arguably, his best work in the form of Tommyknockers...

RV006 - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray

BOOK REVIEW

Hello everyone!

Proving my commitment is still there to turning out the content as best I can, I thought I would take some time to review Vanity Fair. After a fairly recent ITV adaptation of this book, I managed to pick it up at a bargain price from my local Tesco meaning I could see just how close and how faithful the adaptation was.

As always, I'm going to try and adopt a spoiler-free review to make it user friendly for those that are maybe thinking of picking this up but aren't sure if it's worth it.

Let me see if I can clear that up...